Over the last few years, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the streaming service Shudder, as I may have mentioned. They have a great mix of older horror movies, exclusives, and original programming. There’s a grey line between “exclusives” and “original programming” with some films getting brief theatrical releases before arriving on Shudder a couple of weeks later or movies making their first appearance on Shudder. This brings me to 825 Forest Road written and directed by Stephen Cognetti.
825 Forest Road is the story of not just a haunted house, but an entire haunted town. Chuck, Maria, and Chuck’s younger sister Isabelle move into the town of Ashland Falls after the death of Chuck and Isabelle’s mother in a car accident. Isabelle happened to be in the car, so there’s the associated survivor’s guilt. When they move into their house, they learn about a woman who supposedly haunts the town, after killing herself and the townspeople who tortured her daughter.
The movie unfolds in “chapters,” each from the point of view of the three main characters. I thought this was a wonderful storytelling technique and allowed some scenes to be viewed from different perspectives. Each character learns of how the town is haunted, how the town lines are redrawn to the point that the titular 825 Forest Road is not on any maps. People in the town, particularly the “Gardening Club” have sought to keep the curse of Helen Foster at bay…that curse forces people to take their lives if they delve too deeply into the location and origins of 825 Forest Road.
When Chuck and Isabelle realize the Helen Foster’s curse is affecting them, they try to find 825 Forest Road, along their own pathways initially. This leads to the fourth and final chapter that focuses beyond just one character.
The house the three protagonists move into has its own strange quirks and possible hauntings. Odd leaks, odd noises and perhaps the creepiest thing in the whole movie, Maria’s mannequin “Martha” which she uses in her vlog to demonstrate her crafted clothing. If inanimate objects have names in horror films, it isn’t usually a good sign. While the town and house itself have elements of being haunted, there’s a haunted aspect to the mannequin as well. Early in the film, the mannequin mysteriously appears outside the home and none of our protagonists seem to be able to explain why. Of course, Maria blames Isabelle for moving it because there’s a pre-established tension between the two. There are hints that this mannequin has a less than clean history prior to the events depicted in the movie.
One of the most effective elements I’ve come to adore in horror films is when inanimate objects (or objects the characters and viewers thought were inanimate) move of their own accord. Especially if the viewers don’t see them move, when these objects are immediately in another place than they were last seen, or the characters are focused on one thing and we see movement behind them. Cognetti masterfully employed this technique in his Hell House LLC films (compounded by those "objects" in Hell House LLC being clowns), it is the hallmark of one of Doctor Who’s greatest “monsters” the Weeping Angels, and the modern masterpiece from Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargil, Sinister. Other elements, like the tension, overwhelming grief that hangs over the entire narrative, and the haunted history of the town come together for a very effective horror film.
While many of the actors aren’t too widely known, they are up to the task and are very effective in their roles. I thought the story was largely well wrought, a couple of holes here and there, but I enjoyed it a great deal.
Cognetti peppers enough lore into the film and ends it in such a way that leaves plenty of room to continue and explore more stories. I’ll be on board, for certain.
Recommended
